I went camping this past weekend.  It was the first good weekend since Spring had come and I’d been itching to get outside and spend a night in the woods.  I had actually brought my laptop with the intent of spending a bit of the night doing some writing.  However, I ended up spending the whole night sitting and talking around the campfire with my lovely wife and my dogs, enjoying the dancing and crackle of the flames.  On one hand, and coming off of the tone of last week’s check-in, it put me behind where I wanted to be for writing for the week but on the other it invigorated the writing I ended up doing.

I came home with a few new ideas for drop stories, the basics of a longer short story or novella, and had me working out some details on a science fiction novel’s story that I have longed toyed with.  I am certainly a person of routine, but going camping and not doing all the things I had wanted to do was a good reminder that some variety and spontaneity is good for offering new perspectives.  It is a gross understatement to say that life is complicated, it especially feels so now, but camping was a nice reminder of the importance of going and doing something not for the sake of productivity, routine, or some other goal but for the sake of just being.  If for no other argument that it can allow you to come back and be all the better able to do the more industrious things we can feel obligated to complete.

Airka and the rest of Provincial Army make their decision for the last battle with the fourth part of End of War this week.  I predict the story will be done with part six or seven.  After that I think we’ll shift back to some drop stories for a time.  See what else Quartes and Keto can get up to.  Some of you will note better navigation has not yet been implemented.  I’ll admit to not making any progress on it, so something to strive towards once more this week.

I hope you all find the little moments of freedom this week that sets you better to face whatever challenges come your way.

Go forth and do good things,

Sean